1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the presentation of sales promotion programs and, more particularly, to automatic selection and presentation of sales promotion programs in real-time.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sales promotion programs deliver messages designed to motivate a message recipient to take a desired action, which typically is to make a product purchase. The goal of sales promotion programs is to attract the attention of persons who might take the desired action, hold their attention while the program is presented, and motivate such persons to take the desired action. Sales promotion programs include a variety of presentations, including, for example, commercial broadcast advertising spots on television and radio, in-store announcements over public address systems, vending machine presentations, and programs designed to operate in kiosk units.
Kiosk units are desirable because they can be placed in locations selected to have the greatest chance of attracting message recipients and are amenable to presenting multimedia programs that are more likely than static displays or verbal announcements to attract and hold attention. Kiosk units typically comprise audio and visual presentation devices housed in a structure that also contains a central processor that repeatedly runs one or more sales promotion programs. When the central processor runs a sales promotion program, the program contents are repeatedly presented over the audio and visual devices so they can be heard and seen by persons in the immediate area of the kiosk. Frequently, the kiosks will include a touch-screen device, which comprises a display screen that can detect when a person touches the screen and can identify which pan of the screen was touched. In this way, a passer-by can respond to the sales promotion program by touching the screen at indicated locations and control the presentation of the program. This permits a somewhat interactive exchange to be maintained between the passer-by and the program.
Touch-screen kiosk units enable sales promotion programs to include more complex logic so that a more intriguing operator interface can be presented, thus increasing the chances of attracting and holding the attention of a passer-by. The operator interface can permit greater interaction and greater entertainment. For example, a person interacting with the kiosk can respond to queries presented by the sales promotion program being presented. The responses to the queries can be used to select the next portion of the sales promotion program to be run or can be used to select a different program. A more intriguing operator interface is desired because empirical evidence suggests that programs that are more successful at attracting and holding the attention of persons also are more successful at motivating persons to take the desired action, such as making a purchase. Nevertheless, evidence suggests that complex decision-making purchase patterns exist, but are not always understood.
In general, it is difficult to develop a single program that can attract and hold the attention of the full range of potential passers-by. Many different factors have been found to influence the success of a sales promotion program and therefore to suggest the best program content. For example, the timing of the presentation as to time of day, week, year, and the like can influence the success of a program. Similarly, the geographic region, current local season or weather may influence the response of persons to a program. Thus, it has been found preferable to provide a number of sales promotion programs, each potentially having interactive features, that are adapted for different factors. Typically, a management decision is made as to which program is the best to be presented, given an expected set of influencing factors. Such decisions can be made weekly, intermittently as sales change, or according to some other timing consideration.
It is preferable to select sales promotion programs for presentation as a function of the programs whose performance indicates they work the best in attracting persons to respond. In the case of a kiosk unit with a touch-screen device, the selection of programs to be offered to passers-by typically is done by analyzing collected data comprising sales of the promoted products, the number of persons interacting with the touch-screen, a count of casual observers, or some combination of such performance characteristics. If a program that features a certain product is repeatedly presented or made available for presentation, and if sales of that product increase, then it is assumed there is a causal relationship between the program and the increased sales.
It would be advantageous to dynamically select the sales promotion programs to be presented and made available. The selection process logic as used in conventional kiosks, however, is necessarily decided upon before any input data is received. That is, the numerical relationships between data constructs are fixed and cannot be changed without reprogramming the kiosk processor. Over time, however, the numerical relationships between data could change. For example, a sales promotion program might be generally successful but, due to a transitory environmental phenomenon, might be temporarily marginal. If the selection process logic does not reflect the current data, developing complex patterns in the data could be missed or not understood. Reprogramming the kiosk processor enables current data to be accounted for, but reduces the availability of the kiosk unit and increases maintenance costs. Moreover, the volume of data to be analyzed to ensure reliable program selection in real time might require a relatively powerful processor for a kiosk implementation, increasing unit cost.
The difficulties described above can overcome many of the advantages otherwise provided by kiosks. It should be apparent that there is a need for a system that permits real-time selection of sales promotion programs for presentation and availability to passers-by based on current contributing conditions. The present invention satisfies this need.